Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal: Clash Between Time and Space Part 2
by Coral the Leviathan
Summary: Number 96 has escaped with a new evil within him! Two worlds of two alternate timelines, collide with each other and struggle as the new evil plans to destroy the world with Yuma and Astral out of the picture! Two powerful duelists from their worlds will fight to take back what's theirs and defeat the evil before it's too late! Part 2 of Co-Op story with tigerkim1027.


**GOD DAMMIT! I don't know how, but I somehow finished this right on time on Christmas before spending the day away from home! This 'new story' here is actually a continuation of a story written by tigerkim1027! Title is the same as the top, just without the 'Part 2' in it. Now then, with that being said, let's start, or continue, this story!**

 **BUT WAIT! One- no, two things before we start!**

 **Number 1: due to personal reasons, tigerkin1027 will have his stories on hiatus for 2 months, so to his readers, do not expect any progress during the next two months.**

 **Number 2: Because I want the duel to be really epic, I may have done some changes to the enemy's deck. What kind of changes? Well, you will have to read and find out!**

 **Now then, ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

Last time, Kazuto was walking his way home from school, Yuma and Kotori by his side. It was a peaceful walk, until Astral appeared, warning Yuma about one of the Number's escape. Things went from bad to worse as the sky changed and purple energy started erupting. The next thing Kazuto knew, he was all alone in the city, with a girl he never met. Said girl was named Hikaru and she accused Kazuto kidnapping her sister. The two got into a well-played duel and realized they weren't at all that different from each other. After the duel, which ended in a draw, a figure appeared and wanted to erase them from the apparent-fused world.

Before we continue the story, let's see what Hikaru was doing before this craziness happened.

* * *

 _ ***HOURS EARLIER***_

Hikaru was in school, taking notes her teacher was writing on the board. Everyone else also wrote down notes, except for a certain individual. Every time Hikaru looked up, from the corner of her eyes, she would see him.

' _Does he ever know when to quit?_ ' she mentally growled. It's been days since Bella won the duel against Seth and even though he promised not to bother Hikaru again with anything involving dueling, his actions all said otherwise.

* * *

It was after school. Hikaru was about to walk home, since she didn't want to be around school any longer. Bella was walking by her side, not wanting to be left alone, even though their cousin would be with her. As they walked to the front, Yuma appeared.

"Hikaru! Please! I'm asking just this once! Duel me!" he begged.

"Did you forget the bet?" the cold sister reminded.

"I know what we betted on, but still!"

* * *

 _ ***ELSEWHERE***_

It was dark. No matter where you look, there was no sign of light anywhere in the realm. A figure appeared in the area.

"Where am I?!" he demanded. "How did I even escape from that prison?!"

"That would be my doing," came a voice behind him. The figure looked and saw a huge shadow looking down on him.

"Who are you?!"

"I am Zamarasu. I was the one who freed you, Dark Mist. I have a proposition specifically for you."

"What proposition?"

"You want to destroy the one who locked you up in the first place, don't you? And those allies of that person." Saying those things got Dark Mist interested. "I too want to destroy them. All of them. In every dimension and every time that has those pesky group in. What do you say? Join together with me and destroy Astral and his friends million-fold?"

Hearing that offer brought chills in Dark Mist's spine. Good chills in his case. "Deal."

* * *

 _ ***BACK IN HEARTLAND***_

Hikaru and Bella continued their walk home, Yuma following and still begging for one duel. Following the three were Kotori, Tetsuo and Seth. All of a sudden, the sky turned dark, much to their confusion.

"What the...? Is it going to rain?" Hikaru asked.

"The forecast said nothing about rain for today," Bella said.

Before they knew it, purple lightning rained down on them.

"What's going on?!" Kotori asked.

"Take cover somewhere!" Tetsuo shouted.

"Bella! This way!" Hikaru grabbed her twin's wrist and dragged her to safety. Multiple purple lightning rained down and flashed, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.

* * *

After the light show, Hikaru felt herself on the ground and groaned. She opened her eyes and saw the city covered with traces of purple energy.

"Hey. Are you okay?" she heard. Standing back up, she shook her head to get rid of the slight dizziness she was feeling.

"And who the hell are you?" she asked coldly. Looking up at the person, she saw he was a boy in Heartland Academy's male uniform. He had black hair spiked to the left and purple bangs near his left eye and grey piercing eyes. Around his neck was a pendant that had dragon wings and a purple crystal.

"Hey! I asked a question first, so you might as well answer it!" he retorted.

"Oh yeah?! Well you might as well get lost before I kick your butt!" she retaliated. She then noticed something missing. Rather, someone. "What the hell did you do to my sister?!"

"I don't know who you're talking about! But if you're asking for a duel, then you're gonna get it!" The boy took out his D-Pad.

"A duel? Fine then. After I beat you, you're gonna tell me where she is!"

* * *

 _ ***AFTER THE DUEL***_

The two duelists realized neither were responsible for what was happening around them and that they weren't much different from each other. That was when a new arrival appeared, who called himself Zaramasu.

"Are you the one responsible for this?!" Hikaru demanded.

"And what if I am?" he asked back. "It's not like either of you can do anything about it. Once I'm done with you two, you and this pitiful world will disappear!"

"Not if we have a say against it!" Kazuto said.

"Duel Disk, set!" He and Hikaru activated their Duel Disks. "D-Gazer, set!" Kazuto set his D-Gazer on while Hikaru's lens flashed. "Augmented Reality Vision Link, established."

"You two wish to die that badly? Very well, then. I'll grant you your pathetic wish!" Zaramasu had his own duel disk appear on his arm. "And since this duel is a battle royale, no duelists can attack until we all took out first turn!"

Both seemed to have accepted the conditions and shouted, "DUEL!"

 **Hikaru: 4000 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 4000 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 4000 LP**

"I'll start first! Draw!" Hikaru drew her sixth card. "You take a raptor away from its home, the rest will fight fiercely to get it back! I summon Raid Raptors - Napalm Dragonius!" A mechanical bird with a serpentine-like tail with feathers at the end appeared on the field.

 **Raid Raptors - Napalm Dragonius: Level 4/DARK/Winged Beast/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I activate Napalm Dragonius' effect! Once per turn, he can inflict 600 points of damage to my opponent! **Raptor's Flame!** " Hikaru's monster breathed out flames from its mouth, inflicting damage onto her opponent.

 **Hikaru: 4000 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 4000 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 3400 LP**

"I may not be able to deal any damage to you via battle, but that doesn't mean I can't use card effects against you!"

"Nice start," Kazuto complimented.

"Thanks. And now I set two cards face down and end my turn!" Hikaru ended.

"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Zaramasu drew his next card. "I summon Hacklespur, Malebranche of the Afterlife!" A centaur-like demon appeared on the field.

 **Hacklespur, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/1400 ATK/0 DEF**

"And if I don't control any Magic or Trap cards on the field, I can Special Summon Libiocco, Malebranche of the Afterlife from my hand!" A beast-like demon also appeared on the field.

 **Libiocco, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/1300 ATK/700 DEF**

"Two Level 3 monsters?" Kazuto muttered. "There's no doubt about it then."

"I now overlay my Level 3 Hacklespur with Libiocco! With these two monsters I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! Appear now, Rank 3! Dante, Traveler of the Afterlife!" A man in red travelers clothes appeared on the field in Defense Mode. A sword was by his side and he had pouches on his person.

 **Dante, Traveler of the Afterlife: Rank 3/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 ATK/2500 DEF**

' _Not high enough,_ ' Hikaru mentally noted.

"I set three cards face-down and end my turn," Zaramasu ended.

"In that case, my turn! Draw!" Kazuto drew his next card. "I summon Phantom Knights Ragged Glove!" A ghostly monster with a light chest armor and big gauntlets appeared on the field.

 **Phantom Knights Ragged Glove: Level 3/DARK/Warrior/1000 ATK/500 DEF**

"And if I control a Level 3 'Phantom Knights' monster, I Special Summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots from my hand!" A ghostly monster in rags, wearing boots, appeared on the field.

 **Phantom Knights Silent Boots: Level 3/DARK/Warrior/200 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And now I overlay my Level 3 Ragged Glove and Silent Boots! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! XYZ SUMMON! Appear, Rank 3! Phantom Knights Break Sword!" Kazuto's monster entered the field.

 **Phantom Knights Break Sword: Rank 3/DARK/Warrior/2000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And I activate Ragged Glove's effect! If an Xyz Monster used it as a material, it gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn!"

 **Phantom Knights Break Sword: 2000 + 1000 = 3000 ATK**

"And I also activate Break Sword's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can destroy a card I control and a card my opponent controls! I'll destroy himself and Dante!" Kazuto's Xyz monster raised its sword and stabbed it down, causing cracks to form and make its way to Dante.

"Counter Trap open! God's Providence! When a Magic, Trap, or a monster effect is activated, by discarding one card from my hand of the same type, I can negate the effect and destroy it!" Zaramasu countered.

"What?!" the 'Phantom Knights' duelist gasped, as a barrier was put up and protected Dante from destruction. Break Sword wasn't as fortunate.

"When Break Sword leaves the field, I can Special Summon materials used to summon him from my Graveyard as Level 4 monsters!" Kazuto's two monsters returned from the dead.

 **Phantom Knights Ragged Glove: Level 3 -} 4**

 **Phantom Knights Silent Boots: Level 3 -} 4**

"And now I overlay my Level 4 Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots! Fangs of pitch-black darkness, rise up against those foolish oppression! Descend now! XYZ SUMMON! Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Kazuto's Dragon-type Xyz monster appeared on the field.

 **Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: Rank 4/DARK/Dragon/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And with Ragged Gloves' effect, Dark Rebellion gains 1000 more ATK!" A red aura surrounded his monster as it grew in power.

 **Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: 2500 + 1000 = 3500 ATK**

"I set three cards face-down and end my turn!" he ended. "You're up, Hikaru!"

The 'Raid Raptors' duelist nodded.

"Before you start you turn," their opponent spoke. "From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of Scaramallion, Malebranche of the Afterlife, whom I descarded to use God's Providence's effect! During the End Phase, if this card was sent to the Graveyard, I can add one Level 3 DARK Fiend-type monster from my deck to my hand! I add Rubicant, Malebranche of the Afterlife!" He added the card to his hand. "Now then. Go on and start your turn."

Hikaru was a bit suspicious at the card he drew and tried to end the duel this turn. "My turn! Draw!" Hikaru drew her next card. "I activate Napalm Dragonius' effect to inflict 600 more damage to you!" Hikaru's monster breathed out more flames at her opponent.

 **Hikaru: 4000 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 4000 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 2800 LP**

"And from my hand, I summon Raid Raptors - Skull Eagle!" A white mechanical bird appeared on the field.

 **Raid Raptors - Skull Eagle: Level 3/DARK/Winged Beast/1000 ATK/500 DEF**

"Next, I activate the Magic card, Raid Raptors - Call! I target one Level 3 or lower 'Raid Raptors' monster I control and Special Summon from my deck its exact copy!" Another Skull Eagle appeared on the field. "Using this effect, I cannot attack. However, I can still do something with your Life Points! I overlay my two Level 3 Skull Eagle! Swift piercing eagle, bypass your opponents and soar to victory! XYZ SUMMON! Appear now, Rank 3! Raid Raptors - Fiend Eagle!" A black and pink mechanical bird appeared on the field.

 **Raid Raptors - Fiend Eagle: Rank 3/DARK/Winged Beast/1000 ATK/0 DEF**

"Through the effects of Skull Eagle, Fiend Eagle gains 300 ATK! Since I used two, Fiend Eagle gains 600 ATK!"

 **Raid Raptors - Fiend Eagle: 1000 + 600 = 1600 ATK**

"And now I activate Fiend Eagle's effect! By detaching one Overlay unit, I can deal damage to my opponent equal to the ATK of one Special Summoned monster on the field! Of course, that monster will be Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! **Raiding Strike!** " Hikaru's monster flared up to the point that it was somewhat of a copy of Kazuto's Xyz Monster and charged at Zaramasu.

"Trap Card, open! Nature's Reflection!" he countered, much to their shock. "This turn if an effect damage was to be inflicted onto me, that effect is sent back to the owner!" A mirror appeared before Fiend Eagle. It went through it and was sent back to Hikaru, forcing her away and into a buidling.

 **Hikaru: 500 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 4000 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 2800 LP**

"Are you okay?!" Kazuto asked.

"Somewhat." Hikaru slowly and weakly got back up on her feet. "I activate the Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force! With this card's effect, I can Special Summon a 'Raid Raptor' Xyz Monster that is one rank higher than an Xyz monster on my field, using that monster as an Xyz Material for it! I will overlay Raid Raptors - Fiend Eagle! Obscured falcon! Raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! RANK-UP XYZ CHANGE! Appear! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!" Her monster evolved into the multi-attacking falcon, in Defense Mode.

 **Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon: Rank 4/DARK/Winged Beast/100 ATK/2000 DEF**

"I switch Napalm Dragonius to Defense Mode! I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Hikaru ended, as her remaining monster was switched to defense.

"My turn! Draw!" Zaramasu drew his next card. He then started to laugh evilly. "Now then, to bring you to your end! I activate Dante's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit! I can send up to three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard and he gains 500 ATK for each card sent this way! I will be sending three cards!" As an Overlay Unit was absorbed into Dante, he grew as his power rose.

 **Dante, Traveler of the Afterlife: 1000 + 1500 = 2500 ATK**

"And next, I activate three monster effects from my Graveyard!" Kazuto and Hikaru widened their eyes in shock at the number of effects he was going to activate, consecutively. "First is Calcab's effect! When he's sent to the Graveyard, I can target one Set Spell or Trap card on the field and return it to the owner's hand! I will send back one of the set cards you've been saving since the beginning of this duel, girl!" One of Hikaru's earlier set cards was returned to her hand. "Next from my Graveyard is Grabbersnitch, Malebranche of the Afterlife! When it is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Afterlife' monster from my deck! So come! Alichino, Malebranche of the Afterlife!" A masked demon appeared on the field.

 **Alichino, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/1200 ATK/0 DEF**

"Lastly! I activate Barbariccia, Malebranche of the Afterlife's effect! By banishing up to three other 'Afterlife' cards from my Graveyard other than itself, I can inflict 300 points of damage to my opponent!" Hearing that shocked Kazuto and Hikaru.

"Hikaru's Life Points are at 500!" the latter stated.

"This is the end for one of you! I will banish Scaramallion and Calcab to deal 600 points of damage to you, girl!" Three fireballs appeared and shot themselves to Zaramasu's target.

"Like I'll let that happen! I activate the Trap Card, Raid Raptors - Readiness! Should I be taking any kind of damage, that damage is reduced to zero!" A shield appeared and protected her from the damage.

"So you saved yourself. But not for long~ I activate the Trap Card! The Traveler Arrives at the Afterlife! I can target any number of 'Afterlife' monsters that were sent in my Graveyard this turn and Special Summon them all back on my field in Defense Mode! So return to me! Grabbersnitch! Barbariccia!" An ogre-like monster and a monster that had an appearance similar to Cerberus appeared on his field.

 **Grabbersnitch, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/1000 ATK/1500 DEF**

 **Barbariccia, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/1700 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And from my hand I activate the Magic card, The Traveler Terminus of the Afterlife! With this card, I can Fusion Summon an 'Afterlife' Fusion Monster using monsters from my hand and field as materials for it!"

"What?!"

"Fusion Summon?!" Kazuto and Hikaru gasped, even more shocked than before.

"I will fuse Alichino, Grabbersnitch and Barbariccia! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now! Level 9! Dante, Pilgrim of the Afterlife!" Another Dante appeared, this one looking more like a cleric than a traveler.

 **Dante, Pilgrim of the Afterlife: Level 9/LIGHT/Fairy/2800 ATK/2500 DEF**

"And now! At this time, I activate the three 'Afterlife' monsters I used to summon him! For Alichino, one monster on the field will lose its effects this turn! The one I'm choosing is Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Chains suddenly appeared and bound Kazuto's Xyz Monster.

"Dark Rebellion!" he cried out in worry.

"Next! Grabbersnitch's effect! I will summon Scaramallion, Malebranche of the Afterlife from my deck!" A wicked demon with extremely long claws appeared on the field.

 **Scaramallion, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/800 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And finally! I activate Barbariccia's effect to banish Alichino and Grabbersnitch and end you for good this time, girl!" More fireballs appeared and shot towards Hikaru once more.

"No you don't!" Hikaru declared. "I activate Raid Raptors - Readiness' second effect to banish it and take no effect damage this turn! In return for this, my Life Points is reduced to 10!" Another barrier appeared and protected Hikaru from further damage, but with a cost.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 4000 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 2800 LP**

"Che. Persistent, aren't you? But I'm not done yet! I summon the Tuner monster, Rubicant, Malebranche of the Afterlife!" A mage-like demon appeared with Zaramasu's other monsters.

 **Rubicant, Malebranche of the Afterlife: Level 3/DARK/Fiend/100 ATK/2100 DEF**

Hearing what kind of monster it was was what surprised the 'Phantom Knights' and 'Raid Raptors' duelist.

"Did he just say Tuner?!" Kazuto asked.

"Then that means..." Hikaru caught on.

"And now I turn my Level 3 Scaramallion with my Level 3 Rubicant! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Appear now! Rank 6! Vergilius, Poet of the Afterlife!" A musician was formed from Zaramasu's two monsters.

 **Vergilius, Poet of the Afterlife: Level 6/LIGHT/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Three strong monsters..." Kazuto muttered.

"And now I will switch the Xyz Dante to Attack Mode-"

"That's what I was waiting for!" Hikaru shouted. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Raid Raptors - Reactor! When the Battle Position of a monster, whose ATK is higher than the combined ATK of all 'Raid Raptors' monsters I control, is changed, I can target that monster and destroy it! And I can also inflicted damage to my opponent equal to the original ATK of that monster!" The moment Dante switched his position, he felt his body burning up. Seconds later, he exploded and Zaramasu took some more damage.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 4000 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 1800 LP**

"Okay. I admit, that was unexpected," he said. "But doing that just helped me even more. When Dante is destroyed, I can add an 'Afterlife' card from my Graveyard to my hand! I will add Barbariccia back to my hand! And I activate the Fusion Dante's effect! By discarding one 'Afterlife' card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw one card!"

"Think again!" Kazuto shouted. "I activate the Trap Card, Phantom Fog Blade! I target one Effect monster on the field and that monster's effects are negated so long as this card is on the field! Also, that monster can't attack!" A sword with a blade made of black fog appeared and made way towards Zaramasu's Fusion Monster. The owner of the monster simply smirked and the sword dissipated upon contact. "What?!"

"Pilgrim Dante can't be targeted by my opponent's card effects." Kazuto widened his eyes in shock at those words, as Zaramasu discarded the only card in his hand and added a card. "Continuing on, with Barbariccia's effect, this time I will banish Dante, Grabbersnitch and Rubicant and inflict 900 points of damage to you, boy!" Kazuto flinched slightly and watched as three fireballs appeared and shot towards him, all dealing damage to the 'Phantom Knights' duelist.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 3100 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 1800 LP**

"You good, Kazuto?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah. This little burn means nothing," he assured.

"No. But this will! Battle! I attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with Pilgrim Dante!" Zaramasu's Fusion Monster shot out many light rays and destroyed Kazuto's monster.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 2800 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 1800 LP**

"And now I attack directly with Vergillus!" The Synchro 'Afterlife' monster played a short song on his guitar, which sent many musical notes heading to Kazuto's way.

"Think again! Double Trap, activate! Phantom Knights Lost Vambrance!" Kazuto countered. "A monster my opponent controls loses 600 ATK and I Special Summon these two cards as monsters!" Two armor harbored by ghostly spirits appeared on the field.

 **Phantom Knights Lost Vambrance 2x: Level 2/DARK/Warrior/600 ATK/0 DEF**

 **Vergillius, Poet of the Afterlife: 2500 - 1200 = 1300 ATK**

"But you're still going to take the damage!" Zaramasu pointed out, as his monster's ATK still hit one of the newly summoned monsters.

"On the turn I activate these two cards, 'Phantom Knights' monsters cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!" Kazuto added.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 2100 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 1800 LP**

"In that case I activate Vergillus' effect! By discarding one 'Afterlife' card from my hand, I can shuffle one card on my opponent's field or Graveyard back to their deck! Let's send your Xyz Monster back to your Extra Deck, girl!" Another note was played by Vergillius, one that forced Rise Falcon away. "I end my turn. And at this time, I activate Scaramallion's effect from my Graveyard! Since he was sent there this turn, I add one Level 3 DARK Fiend monster from my deck to my hand! I'll be adding Farfarel, Malebranche of the Afterlife from my deck to my hand!" He added the card to his hand.

"My turn! Draw!" Kazuto drew his next card. "Okay. I will overlay my two Level 2 Phantom Knights Lost Vambrances! With these two monsters, I build the overlay network! piercing through countless warriors, the pitch-black spear buried in darkness, descend now! XYZ SUMMON! Appear now, Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!" A rag-wearing knight-like monster appeared on the field, a javelin and a shield in hand.

 **Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin: Rank 2/DARK/Warrior/1600 ATK/0 DEF**

"At this time, I activate Pilgrim Dante's effect!" Zaramasu interrupted, much to his opponents' confusion.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru demanded.

"My Fusion Monster just doesn't like to stay back and be a side character, let's just say. He just wants to use his effect every chance he has. Now by discarding one 'Afterlife' card from my hand, I can draw one card!" Zaramasu did just that. "And it is here that Farfarel's effect activates! When he's sent to the Graveyard, I can banish one monster on the field until the end of the turn he was sent there!" It didn't take Kazuto and Hikaru long to know who he was going to target. "Say goodbye to your monster!" As soon as he set foot on the field, Cursed Javelin was forced to leave.

"Damn it!" the owner of the card cursed. He looked down at his hand and saw one thing he might be able to do. "I activate the Magic Card, Phantom Knights Shadow Veil! This gives a monster 300 more DEF! I give this boost to Hikaru's Napalm Dragonius! I end my turn!"

 **Raid Raptors - Napalm Dragonius: 1000 + 300 = 1300 DEF**

"At this time, your Cursed Javelin returns to your field." As soon as Zaramasu said that, Kazuto's Rank 2 Xyz Monster came back.

"It's up to me now... Draw!" Hikaru drew her next card. She grimaced at the sight of the card. "With Napalm Dragonius' effect, you take 600 points of damage!" Her lone monster breathed more flames at her opponent.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 2100 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 1200 LP**

"I summon Raid Raptors - Fuzzy Lanius!" Her black and purple mechanical bird appeared on the field.

 **Raid Raptors - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4/DARK/Winged Beast/500 ATK/1500 DEF**

"And now I overlay my Level 4 Fuzzy Lanius and Napalm Dragonius! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! XYZ SUMMON! Take flight, Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Force Strix!" The owl-like mechanical bird came into play in Defense Mode.

 **Raid Raptors - Force Strix: Rank 4/DARK/Winged Beast/100 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And I activate Force Strix's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I add a Level 4 DARK Winged Beast monster from my deck to my hand! I am going to add Raid Raptors - Singing Lanius to my hand and summon it! So long as I have an Xyz Monster on my field, I can special summon it from my hand!" Her yellow and black mechanical bird appeared and granted Force Strix some boost.

 **Raid Raptors - Singing Lanius: Level 4/DARK/Winged Beast/100 ATK/1800 DEF**

 **Raid Raptors - Force Strix: 100 + 500 = 600 ATK/2000 + 500 = 2500 DEF**

"And since the material sent was Fuzzy Lanius, through its effect, I can add another Fuzzy Lanius from my deck to my hand! I set one card face down and end my turn!"

It was here Zaramasu played the fool. "Oh ho? What happened? I thought you were going to end me this turn. I guess you were only bluffing. Or is it... you didn't draw the card you needed?" Hikaru gritted her teeth at those words. "Well, no matter. I draw! I activate the Magic card, _**Afterlife Draw**_! For each 'Afterlife' card I control, I draw one card plus one!"

 _ **(Afterlife Draw: Normal Magic: For each 'Afterlife' card you control, draw one card plus one.)**_

As soon as he drew his next set of cards, he let out a cackling laugh. "This is all over for you! From my Graveyard I activate the Magic card, Galaxy Cyclone, which was sent there by Traveler Dante's effect! By banishing it, I can destroy a face-up Magic or Trap card on the field! Let's get rid of Raid Raptors - Reactor!" A starry cyclone suddenly appeared and took away Hikaru's face-up trap card. "Now with that out of the way, I activate Ritual magic, Good and Evil in the Afterlife!" As if they weren't shocked enough Zaramasu can do other summons, now they hear this. "With this card's effect, I can send monsters on my field with combined level of six or more and Ritual Summon one certain monster. But why sacrifice any of my monsters on my field, when I have the perfect substitute? I send Ritual Offering to the Graveyard and perform a Ritual Summon!" A door appeared, half of it being white, while the other half black. Ritual Offering appeared on the field and hit the door, causing it to flare up. It slowly opened up and what seemed like a mix of a reaper and a monstrous demon from hell came out of it.

 **Hellraker, Fierce God of the Afterlife: Level 6/DARK/Fiend/2700 ATK/2200 DEF**

"Great. Now we have a Ritual Monster to worry about," Hikaru muttered.

"But at least he doesn't have any more cards in his hand. That means we don't have to worry about any more 'Afterlife' effects coming up," Kazuto pointed out.

"True as it may be, don't forget you don't have any more cards to protect yourself!" Zaramasu pointed out. "Let's start with you, boy! I attack Cursed Javelin with Pilgrim Dante!" His Fusion Monster shot out more rays of lights, this time at Kazuto's only monster, and destroyed it.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 900 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 1200 LP**

"And now I will attack you directly with Vergillius! It's over for you!" Vergillius played a fearsome note as the soundwaves made its way to the defenseless duelist.

"From my hand, I activate the Trap card!" Kazuto shouted, much to Zaramasu and Hikaru's shock. "Phantom Knights Dark Gauntlet! If I were to be attacked directly, and I have no cards on my field, I can activate it from my hand, summoning it as a monster in Defense Mode!" An armor with gauntlets appeared on his field in Defense Mode.

 **Phantom Knights Dark Guantlet: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/0 ATK/600 DEF**

"And when this card is attacked, for each 'Phantom Knight' cards in my Graveyard, it gains 300 DEF! In my Graveyard are Silent Boots, Ragged Gloves, Break Sword, two Lost Vambraces, Cursed Javelin and Shadow Veil! In total, that's seven cards!" The armor grew as it got more defense power.

 **Phantom Knights Dark Gauntlet: 600 + 300 x 7 = 600 + 2100 = 2700 DEF**

"If this is the end for anyone, it's you!" The soundwaves hit Kazuto's newly summoned monster, only for it to be bounced back and make its way to Zaramasu instead.

"From my Graveyard I activate The Traveler Terminus of the Afterlife's effect! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, an 'Afterlife' monster I control gains 800 ATK and DEF until the end of my opponent's next turn!" Vergillius played a different tune and somewhat countered against his old one, weakening the damage.

 **Vergillius, Poet of the Afterlife: 1300 + 800 = 2100 ATK/1000 + 800 = 1800 DEF**

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 900 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 600 LP**

"Damn it. Just a little more," Kazuto cursed.

"Well now, I suppose there is still little hope for you yet. But not for long. I attack Force Strix with Hellraker!" Zaramasu's ritual monster tossed its lance at Hikaru's Xyz monster and obliterated it. "Now for some more fun part."

"There's more?" Hikaru demanded.

"Oh yes. I overlay my Level 6 Vergillius with Hellraker! With these two monsters I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! Come forth, Rank 6! Beatrice, Lady of Eternal!" What seemed to be a goddess from heaven appeared before the two duelists.

 **Beatrice, Lady of Eternal: Rank 6/LIGHT/Fairy/2500 ATK/2800 DEF**

Kazuto and Hikaru prepared themselves for the worse to come.

"I end my turn." Only to be shown mercy. "Lucky for you, Beatrice does have an effect, but it can't be used when she's summoned."

"So we're safe then?" the 'Phantom Knights' duelist asked.

"For the time being," the 'Raid Raptors' duelist said.

"Okay then. My turn! Draw!"

"And now for Beatrice's effect!" At Zaramasu's words, the two duelists tensed and prepared themselves. "By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can send one card from my deck to the Graveyard! I'm sending another copy of Barbariccia! And with Barbariccia's effect, by banishing Vergillius, Afterlife Draw, and The Traveler Arrives at the Afterlife, you're taking 900 points of damage boy! And just enough to defeat you too!" More fireballs appeared and were shot towards Kazuto.

"The card I drew was the Trap card, _**Phantom Knights Heavy Armor**_! If I were to take Effect Damage and my Life Points are 1000 or lower, I can activate it from my hand! All effect damage are negated this turn and I summon this card as a monster!" A heavily armored spirit appeared on the field.

 _ **(Phantom Knights Heavy Armor: Normal Trap: If your Life Points are 1000 or lower, you can activate this card from your hand. If a card that inflicts damage is activated, negate that effect and Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster (Level 4/DARK/Warrior/0 ATK/0 DEF). If you do, you take no effect damage this turn. If this card was used as an Xyz Material to summon a DARK Xyz Monster, you may draw one card for every two of that card's Rank.)**_

 **Phantom Knights Heavy Armor: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"Another defense, I see. But don't think you're going to survive. You both will die. You WILL disappear with this world!" Zaramasu declared.

"We won't disappear. And this world won't be destroyed! We will make sure of that!" Kazuto retorted. "I now Overlay my Level 4 Dark Gauntlet and Heavy Armor! Born from the depths of pitch-black darkness, revive! And revolt all that oppose the most fearsome of dragons! Descend now! XYZ SUMMON! Appear, Rank 4! Number 75: Dark Revolution Xyz Dragon!" Kazuto's other dragon came out on the field.

 **Number 75: Dark Revolution Xyz Dragon: Rank 4/DARK/Dragon/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"With Heavy Armor's effect, if it was used to summon a DARK Xyz monster, I draw one card for every two of the monster's Rank! Dark Revolution's rank is 4! So I draw two cards!" Kazuto drew more cards. "And now! I activate Dark Revolution's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can halve the ATK of one Level or Rank 4 or higher monster and give that amount to him! **Revolting Discarge!** " Kazuto's monster's overlay unit bursted as the monster itself extended its wings and shot purple-black lightning at Beatrice.

"I activate Good and Evil of the Afterlife's effect from my Graveyard! By banishing it and sending an 'Afterlife' monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can add an 'Afterlife' card from my deck to my hand! I send Farfarel to my Graveyard and add _**Rank-Up-Magic Above the Afterlife**_ to my hand! And with Farfarel's effect, since it was send to the Graveyard, your monster is banished!" The lightning made a u-turn and hit Dark Revolution, forcing it to leave the field.

 _ **(Rank-Up-Magic Above the Afterlife: Normal Magic: Target one Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon one Xyz monster whose Rank is twice that monster's Rank, using the targeted monster as an Xyz Material. If this card is in your Graveyard, you may banish this card; Special Summon one 'Number' Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck. Immediately after that monster is summoned, Special Summon one 'Number C' Xyz Monster from your Extra deck whose Rank is one higher than the monster you summoned first, using that monster as an Xyz Material.)**_

"Even Dark Revolution wasn't enough..." Kazuto spoke in shock and disbelief.

"And not only that, but a 'Rank-Down-Magic'?" Hikaru questioned.

"Now then. What are you going to do now?" Zaramasu asked. "Oh wait. Before you do anything else, I activate Dante's effect to discard my newly obtained card and draw a new card." He did just that.

After he made his move, Kazuto looked down at the cards he drew out from Heavy Armor's effect. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" The moment he ended his turn, his ace monster came back, but now it had no units.

"So now it's all on you, girl. What can you do? If there is anything you can do, that is." Zaramasu laughed evilly.

"My turn!" Hikaru placed her hand on her deck, but there was one problem; her hand wouldn't move for a draw. This shocked her, for she never trembles in the middle of a duel before.

' _Why? Why am I trembling?_ ' she wondered. ' _Move, dammit. Draw your card! You have to keep dueling! For your sister, for your lost parents and..._ ' Her mind went to her cousin and his friends. ' _... for them too. So draw!_ '

"You're not going to draw, are you?" Zaramasu asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Might as well stop now then. Do that, I'll make your death quick and painless. And you will reunite with that sister of yours."

"Shut up! You don't get to decide our future!" she yelled. "Our future are our own to decide! We don't need someone like you making decisions for us!"

"That's right! Besides, if we were to stop now, our worlds' true future will forever be lost! And we will not let that happen!" Kazuto supported.

As they both say that, Hikaru's deck was glowing slightly and the girl herself stopped her trembling. "We will win this. For the sake of our future! DRAW!" She finally drew her card and laid eyes on it. "I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" She drew two more cards and stared at her hand.

"From my Graveyard, I activate Rank-Up-Magic Above the Afterlife's effect! By banishing this card, I get to Special Summon a 'Number' Xyz monster from my Extra Deck!" the 'Afterlife' duelist interrupted. "Immediately after that, I can perform an Xyz Summon with that monster to summon out a 'Number C' monster whose Rank is one higher than it! I will firstly summon out Number 96: Dark Mist and use it to build the overlay network! RANK-UP XYZ CHANGE! Be reborn in the darkness, Rank 3! Number C96: Dark Storm!" Instead of an 'Afterlife' monster, appearing now on his field was a wicked, creepy looking Number monster.

 **Number C96: Dark Storm: Rank 3/DARK/Fiend/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Finally you summon me out! And here I was thinking you've forgotten about me," he spoke.

"That monster spoke?!" Kazuto gasped.

"That's right. And if you think that my low ATK means certain win for you two, then you're bigger fools than we thought!"

Hikaru gritted her teeth and glared, looking back down at her hand. ' _Vanishing Lanius, Fuzzy Lanius, and Mind Control. If I Xyz Summon Twilight Falcon and take control over Beatrice, I might be able to end this duel. However, who's to say that he won't use its effect to banish my monster or end the duel._ ' All of a sudden, she heard a voice. She looked up and, instead of the duel, she saw herself in space itself. ' _Where is-?_ ' She heard a screech and looked behind her to see Singing Lanius, Fuzzy Lanius, Vanishing Lanius and Dark Revolution. ' _Guys?_ ' The four monsters stared deep in her eyes, as if to tell her something. Moments later, she started to see cards being played in order, all ending with a black dragon-like mechanical bird.

Hikaru blinked and found herself back on the dueling field, widening her eyes in realization of what the cards are saying.

' _I get it! That's what you guys are saying!_ ' she thought.

"I summon Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius!" Hikaru summoned out her green mechanical bird.

 **Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius: Level 4/DARK/Winged Beast/1300 ATK/1600 DEF**

"And from my hand, I activate Fuzzy Lanius' effect! Since I control a 'Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius', I can Special Summon it from my hand!" Next up to appear was Fuzzy Lanius. "Now I overlay my Level 4 Singing Lanius, Vanishing Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius! With these three monsters I build the Overlay Network! Great leading falcon! Rise to the revolution and soar to victory! XYZ SUMMON! Soar sky high! Number 26: Raid Raptors - Twilight Falcon!" Hikaru's own ace monster came onto the field.

 **Number 26: Raid Raptors - Twilight Falcon: Rank 4/DARK/Winged Beast/1000 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And I activate the Magic card, Mind Control! Through this card's effect, I take control of one of my opponent's monster!"

"So it's either me or Beatrice I see," Dark Storm said.

"Before you do, however, I will activate Beatrice's effect! By detaching her last overlay unit, I will be sending a card from my deck to the Graveyard! And who better than Alichino, whose effect negates Twilight Falcon's effect for this one turn!" Zaramasu added, as he sent the said monster to the Graveyard and chains appeared and wrapped themselves around Hikaru's lone monster. "There goes your victory."

"Who said I was taking any of your monsters in the first place?" Hikaru asked, to their and Kazuto's confusion. "The monster I'm targeting... is Number 75: Dark Revolution Xyz Dragon!" Gasps were heard as Kazuto's monster swapped over to her side.

"Even if she has my monster, it can't attack because of Mind Control and Twilight Falcon can't use its effect to gain any ATK boost because of Alichino," he pointed out to himself.

"Ha! A desperate move from a desperate duelist! It's so sad, it makes me feel pitiful for you," Dark Mist said.

"We'll see who's pitying who! I now overlay the Rank 4 Number 26: Raid Raptors - Twilight Falcon and Number 75: Dark Revolution Xyz Dragon!" Cue more shocked gasps at her words, as the two monsters actually warped into the Xyz Portal. "With these two monsters I build an all new Overlay Network! When chaos claims time and space alike, a new twilight is born to correct the darkness! XYZ SUMMON! Appear now! Rank 0! Shining savior of all dimensions! _**Shining Number 26: Raid Resistance Xyz Dragon**_!" A mix of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with mechanical bird parts appeared on the field.

 **Shining Number 26: Raid Resistance Xyz Dragon: Rank 0/DARK/Dragon/0 ATK/0 DEF**

 _ **(Shining Number 26: Raid Resistance Xyz Dragon: Xyz Monster: 2 'Number' Xyz monsters with the same Rank:**_ ** _When this card is successfully Xyz Summoned, target any number of Xyz monsters in your graveyard and attach them to this card as Xyz materials. Once per duel, you can detach all Xyz materials from this card to banish every card on the field and graveyard except Xyz monsters. For each banished card, this card gains 500 ATK and DEF points. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this card's effect. If this card attacks a DARK 'Number' Xyz monster, that monster's effects are negated until the end of the Battle Phase, even if it leaves the field.)_**

"Shining Number?!" Zaramasu gasped in shock.

"What the hell?! I've never seen any monster like it before!" Dark Storm shouted.

"When Raid Resistance is successfully summoned, I can attach any number of Xyz monsters in my Graveyard to it as Xyz materials!" Force Strix appeared and turned into an Overlay Unit for the new monster. "And now I activate Raid Resistance's effect! By detaching all of its overlay units, all cards on the field and graveyard are banished except Xyz monsters! And since this effect doesn't target, your Fusion monster is also affected by this! **Shining Whirlwind!** " One flap was all it took to summon out a tornado.

"I activate Dante's effect! By discarding one 'Afterlife' card from my hand, I draw a new card!" Just when Zaramasu was about to send his lone card to the grave, he found the Graveyard slot preventing entry.

"Cards and effects cannot activate in response to this effect!" Hikaru added, as the tornado came and took all the cards from the field and graveyard, except Xyz monsters.

"My monsters!" her opponent shouted.

"And also!" Hearing that there's more made him and Dark Storm flinch. "For each card banished this way, Raid Resistance gains 500 ATK and DEF points!"

"WHAT?!"

"In total, the number of cards banished through this effect were 32! Multiply that by 500 Raid Resistance is now at 16000 ATK and DEF!" Raid Resistance let out a ferocious roar as his power skyrocketed.

 **Shining Number 26: Raid Resistance Xyz Dragon: 0 -} 16000 ATK/0 -} 16000 DEF**

"With this and no way of discarding that card from your hand, it's game over for you now!" Kazuto said.

"That's right! Now go, Raid Resistance Xyz Dragon! Attack Number C96: Dark Storm! **Great Revolution Lightning Claw!** " Hikaru's monster's claws grew and glowed, cackling with electricity as it charged towards its opponent.

"Think again! With Dark Storm's effect, since he was summoned using his original self, if he was to be involved in a battle, by detaching one Overlay Unit, his opponent has their ATK reduced to zero and he gains ATK equal to that amount! **Darkness Absorption!** " Zaramasu declared.

"DIE!" Dark Storm shouted, absorbing his last unit and wrapped his opponent with his shadows, only for it all to back away from him. "What?! What's going on here?!"

"If Raid Resistance attacks a DARK 'Number' monster, that monster's effects are negated," Hikaru added. "Now for our future, Raid Resistance! Finish this!" Her monster did as ordered and obliterated Dark Storm and Zaramasu.

 **Hikaru: 10 LP**  
 **Kazuto: 900 LP**  
 **Zaramasu: 000 LP**

 **WINNER: HIKARU AND KAZUTO!**

The moment the duel ended, the energy around them started to go wild, as though it suddenly became unstable.

"What's happening?!" Kazuto asked.

"No..." Zaramasu muttered. The two duelists looked and saw that he was dissipating himself, as well as Dark Storm. "No! This isn't suppose to happen! NOOOOOO!" The two disappeared for good, and purple lightning rained down on the two remaining individuals.

"I don't understand! I thought defeating them was suppose to fix this!" Hikaru shouted.

The two heard a familiar roar. Both looked up and saw Raid Resistance flying into the air.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Kazuto demanded.

More lightning fell and both ducked for cover, closing their eyes shut, waiting for their end.

* * *

"Hikaru? Hey, are you okay?" came a voice.

"Sister, wake up," came another voice.

"Should we call an ambulance?" asked another.

"I'm going to do that now!" shouted one other.

Hikaru slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Yuma, Bella, Kotori, Tetsuo and Seth standing over her with worried looks on their faces.

"Hey! She's waking up!" Seth informed. They all looked back down at her, worried looks now being relieved looks.

"Hikaru! Are you okay?" Bella asked.

Hikaru couldn't believe it. Her sister was right here in front of her, and Heartland was as safe and peaceful as can be. Seeing all of this relieved her to the point tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Hey, are you all right?" Seth questioned.

Rather than answering, Hikaru shot up in a sitting position, bringing everyone in for a hug, much to their shock and surprise.

"I'm glad you guys are okay," they heard her say.

None of them knew what was going on. Rather than asking, they simply smiled and hugged her back.

After breaking out of the hug, Hikaru looked around, looking for someone. "Where's Kazuto?"

"Who?" Tetsuo asked.

Hikaru looked at him in slight confusion, before realizing that her new friend had returned to his own Heartland in his own time. "Heh. Nothing."


End file.
